Come for a visit! Home for the Holidays swap from Happy Mom

I am so happy to welcome you to Richmond and to my little house in the suburbs!  I hope you enjoy the visit!  

The Richmond Airport is an asset to our area.  It's so easy to fly in and out, and so much closer than having to drive to DC or Norfolk.  It's about 30 minutes from my house.  On our way out to the suburbs, we'll make a few stops.  

Richmond is a pretty city.  It's the capital of Virginia and there's a lot of history here.  

One place I always take guests is to the historic Jefferson Hotel.  This picture was taken from the mezzanine, looking down into the the lower lobby, and as you can see - it's decorated for Christmas!

We'll head out to my house now... 

I live in a development called BRANDERMILL and as you can see, it's beautiful year-round:

We live in Deer Meadow Court, and here's a shot of my cul-de-sac:

And welcome to our humble abode!

Our front door - Come on in!

Our tree - 2018

And now that you're settled-in, we can talk about what you'd like to do while you're in town.  

If you've read my Swap-bot profile, you know that my house is a 2 hour drive inland from the Atlantic Ocean...2 hours south of Washington, DC and about 2 hours east of the Blue Ridge Mountains...plus, there's plenty to do right here in this area.  

One of my favorite things to do for the holidays is a "Tacky Limo Light Tour".  A few years ago, we made this our family fun time.  The limo picked us up at home, then picked up a few of the kids' friends, and we headed through several well-known neighborhoods to look at all the holiday decorations.  We covered a lot of ground in just a few hours - so festive!  Here are some photos from that night:

Inside the Limo

Just one of many of the houses we visited!

This family knows how to have fun!

Downtown Richmond - The James Center

Did you enjoy the tour?  There's lots more to do while you're here, but I don't want to wear you out!  On Christmas Eve, we can attend services at Clover Hill Church, if you'd like... or, just relax at home.  Our tradition is to wake up on Christmas morning and exchange gifts.  When our kids were little, I'd have the camcorder ready when my husband would carry them down the stairs into the living room to see what Santa brought them.  And he always brought too much!  These next two photos are from years gone by, but you get the idea!

Christmas is always a very festive and fun time for us, and I've sure enjoyed sharing my memories and photos.  Mostly, I enjoy sharing the Love of Jesus and the miracle of His birth at this special time.  It's easy to get caught up in the activities, shopping, baking and the like...but the real 'magic' is knowing that our world was changed forever by the birth of a baby in a manger.  

Blessings to you and yours this holiday season!

With love,

Michael, Ilyse, Callie & Jacob

My Favorite Photos - November - from Happy Mom 😀

November was a fun month - and I have some random photos to share!  Enjoy the visit!

Starting off with a pano photo of my street with a gorgeous sky:

Next are 3 snags from Instagram and Facebook. 

Left is my friend's daughter from her overseas wedding in Italy.  The bride was just a kid when our families became friends, and she has grown up to be an amazing woman.

Middle is a cute idea for holiday parties and potlucks.  I meant to make this for Thanksgiving, but totally forgot until I started this swap.

Right is the new "Women of Climbing" calendar featuring one of my son's good friends on the cover.  How cool is that?  Not only is she an accomplished climber, but she's also a top-rated tattoo artist.

 Sharing these next few outdoor shots because the clear skies are such a welcome change from the normal dreariness of November.  My dog loves going outside with me - even if I'm just walking out to the mailbox.  And I was on an ATC-making mission over our Thanksgiving holiday weekend.  

 Last, but not least, I thought you might enjoy seeing a video clip of my son's dog - determined to get that one last morsel that wound up under the wine rack in the kitchen.  

Don't worry - after the bottles fell, one actually knocked that morsel out from under the rack, and Pica got her due reward!

That's it for this month.  Thanks for visiting and I hope you have a great December!